Originally Posted by
jwm2
I think the reason kyosho has really done well over the years is due to support within their country (japan). Japan is a small country with not alot of space. They don't mind spending money to support their own. Its kinda like nascar over here. We have space to race full scale autos, over there they race smaller scale vehicles. Its also a hobby that deals with miniature parts and they seem to gravitate twords smaller things. Maybe i'm way off, i don't know but it makes sense to me
This is not true. There is a big following for RC here in Japan. I have been stationed here for a year and a half now and I can tell you they just take pride in what they do. Every little detail is never overlooked. Sure they do like small things like hobby cars, but the dedication is way different than in the states. I have been to most of the tracks here and have raced with most of the big guys (Kanai as well) and Mr. Kanai is very dedicated to his car. I used to go to the track he used for testing everything and he was there almost every weekend meticulously trying something new. All of his team members were usually out there testing as well. I have also been to the Futaba Buggy Tract where Mugen usually does a lot of testing (Kenji Osaka), but Team Mugen does not seem as dedicated here. I haven't been to the tract that Kenji usually runs all the time though. Can't find it right now. But the Mugen team is not nearly as big as Team Kyosho here. That is the difference. You would also be surprised to know that kits are the same price as in the states. The only time I can get anything cheaper is when the yen rate is up. But that really isn't going to happen anytime soon, so who cares right. Also, the tracks here are WAY more technical than in the states. The tracks are tight and narrow, plus the jumps make it very challenging. Once you go to the bigger tracks, it sometimes makes things easier.